Mass Effect: Virtue of Hope
by Aferus
Summary: After the events of Earth, in which Commander Shepard chose to use the Crucible's energy to synthesize the galaxy and stop the Reaper invasion, the galaxy finds itself in a period of reconstruction. A new character emerges, Admiral Joseph Malone of the SSV MacArthur and his son Michael, as they both face the last danger of the Reaper force, Harbinger. (Incomplete Story)
1. Introduction

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Mass Effect or any of the copyrights it's entitled to. Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3 are titled properties of BioWare and Electronic Arts.

**Author's Note:** Through my play-through of the Mass Effect series, I chose a full paragon storyline. All paragon options and choices were chosen. My Commander Shepard romanced Ashley Williams in the first Mass Effect and remained true to her up to Mass Effect 3. In the final choice to activate the Crucible, I chose Synthesis. My reasoning for that is because I personally believe that synthesis was the best choice for the best outcome the galaxy could have. The Control option was good too, but I couldn't see Shepard becoming an entity that "controlled" the Reapers. Synthesis gave the Reapers a true personality of their own, much like the Geth. In the end, the galaxy would become a cooperative environment for all the species, organic and synthetic. My theory however, was that as the galaxy poured all the resources they could into reconstruction, they would find themselves in short supply of resources.

* * *

Following the Battle for Earth and the result of the Crucible's activation, the entire galaxy rejoiced in the celebration that the invasion had been stopped, and a new age of civilization emerged, one that would change the course of history forever. Commander Shepard chose to synthesize the galaxy, merging the Crucible's energy with his, to give all organics and synthetics understanding of each other.

His radical choice became unpopular with military officials, but was admirable, for the result was that the Reapers had each become a fully developed AI, with the singular purpose to help the cycle rebuild. Although they weren't trusted at first, the Reapers eventually came to aid the galaxy a great deal. With the help of the Reapers, the Mass Relays were rebuilt within the span of a few years. And the Citadel was rebuilt from the ground up, creating a larger and more powerful center of the galaxy.

Organic DNA was transformed, synthesized into a new strand that can now peacefully coexist with synthetic technology. Information could be absorbed with a single touch, and lifespans became longer. Synthetics understood the meaning of organic life now, and this understanding stretched to the Geth and the Reapers, giving them a new purpose.

The invasion was over, and trillions of lives were saved, at the cost of many. The aftermath was a new reality, and the entire galaxy poured what resources they had left into reconstruction. The Council ordered a full cooperation between the species to help each other through the post-war era, while keeping their suspicion of the synthesized Reapers.

After the defeat of the Reapers, Admiral Hackett retired from military service. He was commended by the Alliance and the galaxy for having stood as the commanding officer of the Battle for Earth. The Council species offered him a position on the newly built Citadel in their department of galactic defense, but he turned it down, he said that he felt that he had led the toughest war in the history of the galaxy, and that now his duty was done. He returned to Buenos Aires on Earth shortly after.

Flight Lieutenant Jeff "Joker" Moreau continued to fly the Normandy SR-2 alongside EDI, and they eventually married years later as the synthesis process had now co-developed a symbiotic relationship that could exist between organics and synthetics. The Normandy became an important frigate in navigating the galaxy to search for resources to transport. The ship was also used to search for remnants of Cerberus throughout the galaxy. He eventually decided to leave active service, and tried to keep the Normandy for himself. The Alliance didn't allow him to keep it however, but gave him full benefits to retire. He moved back to Tiptree to live near his sister who survived the war.

EDI stayed on with Joker throughout the remainder of his service to the Alliance, she was especially helpful in analyzing and acquiring information for colonies around the galaxy to rebuild their destroyed homes. The Council eventually offered her a place in their intelligence department, she took up the job for a short time, but missed her time with Joker. She returned to the Normandy and married Joker shortly after. She moved to Tiptree with him.

Dr. Liara T'Soni returned to Thessia months after taking back Earth, and although she was wary of the now hospitable Reapers, she eventually grew to like them and work with them to gather information of the past cultures that came before. Using what was left of her Shadow Broker network, she was able to send building supplies and resources to Thessia. She and Feron both rebuilt the planet as much as they could, and for her efforts, Liara was commended in the eyes of the Matriarchs. After being named so, she saw to it that the Shadow Broker's entire organization was dissolved, citing that the galaxy no longer needed the Shadow Broker.

Garrus Vakarian stayed on Earth to mourn Commander Shepard's death and to lead the Turian forces that stayed to help rebuild Earth. Afterwards, he returned to Palaven to see his father and sister again, taking up a desk-job as Primarch Victus's military advisor. Near his 30 year mark, Victus's lifeline began to fail, and he stepped down from the position of the Primarch. As the turian hierarchy searched for the successor, the turian populace vouched for Garrus to become the next Primarch. However, Garrus quickly stomped down the support, citing it's a job meant for someone else. He remained close to Tali'Zorah, and eventually formed a relationship with her several years after Earth.

Lieutenant James Vega was promoted to Lieutenant Commander for his service with Commander Shepard and his role in retaking Earth. After much help to rebuild Earth, the N7 Program placed him as commander of an elite squad of marines, ordered to track down any remaining cells of Cerberus and capture them. He was then chosen as commanding officer to the SSV Normandy. After many covert missions, Vega eventually left the service as a Captain. He took up an agent position with the Alliance, martialing field work and coordinating with the other species to research defense technology. He remained close to Ashley Williams after the events on Earth, and consoled her as they both mourned Shepard's death.

Lieutenant Commander Ashley Williams returned to Earth after being promoted to Commander for helping retake Earth. She was distraught and heartbroken for losing the man she loved, and after much mourning, she reluctantly took up her Spectre responsibilities for the Council, and was ordered to track down high ranking Cerberus officials and bring them to justice. She discovered other Cerberus cells around the galaxy and coopted specific operations with other species. She remained close to James Vega after the events at Earth, eventually forming a relationship and marrying him many years later.

Admiral Tali'Zorah Vas Normandy returned to Rannoch after the events on Earth, and was placed as Rannoch's Defense Chief. She helped her people build a home on Rannoch, and the geth aided tremendously. After many decades, the Geth and the Quarians built a beautiful city on Rannoch, along with the largest fleet in the galaxy. This worried the Alliance and the Council, but Tali assured them that they had no intentions of misusing their power. The Geth eventually reached out to the Council, offering their help galaxy-wide to help rebuild other planets using their technology. After many years apart, Garrus and Tali eventually joined together, and married.

Javik returned to the legendary Cronian Nebula to find the remains of his fallen brethren after the events on Earth. He refused to help with reconstruction and refused to work with the Reapers. However, Liara was able to convince him to stay alive to help her piece together the Prothean history, he reluctantly accepted. He requisitioned a small ship and established a small outpost on his own out in the dark reaches of the system, and scavenged for lost pieces of knowledge and information dug deep within the remains of the Prothean Empire. He remained close to Liara, helping her write her book, _The Protheans and their Empire_. With what information he could find on other Prothean ruins, he pieced together the Prothean Codex, which accurately recorded the timeline of the rise and fall of the Prothean Empire. After sending the Codex to Liara, Javik returned to the ruins of his people one last time, and killed himself. In his message to Liara, he said "The last voice of the Protheans has spoken, and now I must return to my people."

Urdnot Wrex became a strong and inspiring leader of the krogan after the genophage was cured. With his guidance and leadership, the krogan eventually let go of the memories of the genophage and the rebellions. The krogan flourished throughout the galaxy, eventually outnumbering the population of all the other species, but even after Wrex passed on, the krogan stayed true to their word, and eventually became skilled craftsmen, scientists, and diplomats in the galactic community.

Specialist Samantha Traynor stayed on the Alliance for many years, writing many books and novels on war strategies and her adventures with the Normandy crew. She continued to serve on the SSV Normandy even after the retrofits and service for retaking Earth. After many covert missions with the Normandy, she was requested to transfer to various Alliance outposts on colonies that were severely damaged. She helped regulate communications and establish strong connections to the rest of the Alliance so that supplies could be quickly sent over. She eventually retired and went to live on in London.

The galaxy had been saved, and the Council eventually brought on the Hanar, the Volus, the Quarians, the Geth, the Krogan, the Elcor, and much later the remaining Batarians, now composing of a fully cooperative Council and space. Commander Shepard was forever remembered as the savior of the galaxy. But as one story ended, another began…


	2. Prologue

After the Battle for Earth, the Period of Reconstruction began throughout the galaxy. The species who fought together continued to stay together to help each other reconstruct the damaged planets and bury the losses that they had on their worlds. The Reapers who once threatened them with extinction now helped them tremendously during this reconstruction period. Their large size helped to reconstruct buildings and larger towns and cities, including power structures. Each Reaper was a true Artificial Intelligence, and thus they each had a distinctive personality. However, they were very reserved, and never spoke about the invasion. It was if they were purposed to forget that they were ever harbingers of destruction. They eventually became renamed "The Guardians" for their efforts in reconstruction.

Of the heavy losses, the Citadel was lost, with every life on board it. However, the Guardians and the galactic species rebuilt it within a span of ten years, and continued to call it the Citadel. The Guardians also gave the species of the galaxy the knowledge of the past cultures that existed in the other cycles. The knowledge gave the galaxy a wider understanding of their universe and how to use certain resources more effectively. Eventually, the Guardians were given a world of their own, and they cultivated it to create an archive, recording the information of millions of years of past cultures, citing that other species and worlds exist beyond the edge of the galaxy.

Shortly after retaking Earth, the Alliance reported something disturbing to the Council. One Reaper wasn't accounted for when the Reapers were changed by the blast of the Crucible. Harbinger, the leader of the Reaper Armada wasn't accounted for. When the other Reapers were questioned as to its whereabouts, they claimed that it left their company shortly after the Crucible was activated on Earth, and fled to escape the blast that surged throughout the galaxy. It returned to dark space, becoming the only Reaper that wasn't affected by the Crucible. Rumors of another invasion spread throughout the Citadel, but the Reapers who did change, the Guardians, promised to protect the universe against Harbinger should it return again. They claimed it "rejected to change its ways" and that it must be destroyed.

However, after three decades and no sign of Harbinger's return, reconstruction continued. Thirty years after the Battle for Earth, reconstruction progressed strongly. Overseeing the reconstruction of Earth was a fleet known as "Anderson's Arm", named in honor of Anderson's bravery in defending Earth. It is led by an Admiral Joseph Malone. He was one of the few men who believed in Commander Shepard's goals and ideals, and led by his example. His son, Michael, had just turned 17, and living the life he lived, as a spacer kid, living in ships all his life, his father felt Michael should find a good career in life. Michael wasn't alive during the time of the invasion, but he grew up knowing what had happened. Michael's mother died when he was very young, so the burden of parenthood rested on Joseph's shoulders. Being the Admiral of a fleet gave no quarter for Michael's life, and Michael grew up mostly in the company of his uncle, who was a technician on the ship they were posted in, the SSV MacArthur.

Michael decided to join the Alliance Marines, joining his father's footsteps as a Marine before his time as an Admiral. The decision weighed heavily on Michael, but he was determined.


	3. Chapter 1 - A Simple Task

The admiral presided over the observation deck on the MacArthur, watching as merchant freighters entered Earth's atmosphere to deliver supplies to the ports on the eastern coast of South America. He sat and watched, waiting for some hope from the stars that the people on Earth can live a stable life again. He saw a Guardian landing on the nearby Alliance space station to make repairs on its solar panels.

He closed his eyes, remembering the frightening appearance of the Reaper. He remember landing on Earth as part of the Hammer ground forces that were supposed to infiltrate the Citadel. His squad wasn't able to make it to the main FOB, and was bogged down in the streets of London facing the massive Reaper force. He was only 18 at the time when he fought, having enlisted from Bekenstein before it was attacked. He never saw his family again. He re-awoke from the memory, and stared back at the Guardian. It was floating away from the station now, it had completed the necessary repairs.

"Admiral, message for you from the Citadel." He heard the intercom announce. It was the yeoman in the upper deck. "I'll queue up the message at the QEC."

"Thank you." The admiral said.

He stood up and walked out of the observation deck into the main floor. It was the information processing deck of the ship and people were walking left and right carrying datapads and other information. Some of them saluted the admiral as he walked towards the elevator. He entered it next to other service members who were either checking their omni-tool or reading a datapad. It was usually this busy around the information processing deck.

As it landed on the combat information center, he was greeted by his yeoman, and escorted over to the QEC in the meeting room. He turned on the communicator and was met by a blue hologram of an aged man. It was Admiral Mikhailovich. Admiral Malone knew him well; Mikhailovich was promoted to Admiral of the Fifth Fleet shortly after Hackett retired. He was known for having been in opposition towards Shepard's goal to unite the races to save Earth. Malone considered Mikhailovich something of a xenophobe.

"Admiral." Mikhailovich greeted in his deep and staunch voice. Admiral Malone saluted.

"Admiral Mikhailovich. How can I be of assistance today, sir?" Malone gritted his teeth; he didn't want to have to salute such a man who didn't even help out during the war.

"The damned Council is breathing down my neck again, they need all the overseers of the rebuilding projects in each system to go to the Citadel and give a full report on the reconstruction of our planets." Mikhailovich complained. "That means you, Admiral."

"With all due respect, Admiral, they only want to know about our progress. This will probably be considered when they set up a new budget for reconstruction at the end of the year. So it's not a pressing issue that you should be worried about." Malone tried to reason with him.

"I don't care about that; it's not as if those damned aliens will help us rebuild Earth any quicker hmm? Now, I need you to report to the Citadel as soon as possible, and have a full report ready. The entire Council will be present. It's a simple task but it shouldn't be a problem." Mikhailovich ordered him.

Malone saluted again, "Yes, sir."

"We'll speak again when you arrive. Mikhailovich out." And the hologram faded.

The admiral sighed, and walked back out to the combat information center. He stood, staring at the galaxy map that was in the middle of the deck. He heard footsteps coming from behind him. It was his XO, Commander Peterson, a middle-aged man of a military background, and a good friend.

"What did Mikhailovich want?" he asked the admiral.

"He needs me to go to the Citadel to give my full report on the status of the reconstruction down on Earth. I've done this before but we weren't scheduled for another report until the end of next year." Malone told him, looking over his datapad.

"Hmm… maybe the Council needs another number. Perhaps they're ready to make a big decision of some sort." Peterson suggested.

"Maybe, but it sure doesn't make my job easier on this." Malone told him.

"What are the latest numbers down there then?" Peterson asked.

"We've reconstructed most of North America and South. Europe is still in repairs due to the heavy damage London and Paris took. Most of Asia is still under repairs but Moscow was recently finished. It's not so much as a budget problem as it is a resource problem. The guys down in the information deck suggest by the time we finish rebuilding Earth, we would have spent up all our resources and will have none left to barter with or use. That's an economical problem." Malone informed him.

"So we look towards private companies to fund expeditions out into space, gather more resources." Peterson suggested.

"Hmm… perhaps but I'm not holding my breath for results. I feel sorrier for the asari, they lost almost everything of value in their worlds. At least we had signs of survivors on Earth, Thessia was stripped clean by the time the Reapers were defeated." Malone sighed.

"We have bigger problems to worry about, admiral. The aliens can handle themselves." Peterson aggressively told him.

"Those 'aliens' helped us retake Earth all those years ago. The turians and the krogan have worked together throughout their reconstruction process, along with the volus. It's the only symbolic cooperation during this post-war era. We need to help each other, even after we've fought together."

"The Guardians have helped too, no?" Peterson asked.

"They have but… not many of the species actually fully trust them yet. Although it's been thirty years, the wounds are still there. I know for a fact the krogan didn't let them help when they were rebuilding Tuchanka. We accepted their help simply out of the fact we didn't have the manpower or the tools to rebuild Earth on our own. They understand our reasons, but the Council has set restrictions on how much we can cooperate with the Guardians."

"I see… Well, when are you planning to head out to the Citadel?" Peterson sternly asked.

"Soon, but I need to speak with Michael first." The admiral told him as they began to walk around the ship past the labs and offices.

"I heard the Alliance recruiter on board is giving him the final form to sign, are you certain that this is what he wants? The marines will need him throughout the galaxy." Peterson curiously asked.

"I wanted Michael to attend a college or a school. Education is vital in this era, and he needs it. It's what his mother would've wanted. But I can't change his mind." The admiral sighed. "My regret was never spending enough time with the boy, now I wish I had the time to do so."

"It will be alright, Malone, but we have our work cut out for us. Michael understands this and so should you." Peterson told him.

The admiral swallowed his guilt.

"You're right, there is work to do. Now if you'll excuse me, I must go see Michael before we ready. Tell the helmsman to set a course for the Citadel in the Serpent Nebula." Malone ordered him.

"At once." And with that, Peterson and Malone went to their destinations.

The admiral returned to the elevator to head back to his living quarters on the highest level of the ship. He prepared a report to the Alliance and a statement to the rest of Anderson's Arm to notify them that the MacArthur will leave the system to report to the Citadel. As the elevator reached on his floor, he punched his clearance code in and entered his home. The ship was specifically modified for families to live on board it, despite it being an alliance vessel. It was primarily purposed as a live-ship.

"Michael, son? Where are you?" his father called.

"Here, dad." Michael emerged from his room.

"Ah, son. Is everything well? What did Sergeant Taylor tell you? Did they give you an official date?" his father asked curiously.

"Not yet, but I'm supposed to talk to him later on about it." Michael told him plainly.

"What do your friends think about this?" his father asked.

Michael sat on the couch in the living room, and stared outside the window of the room, into the deep reaches of space. The admiral sat next to him, and glanced at the wall. It was filled with many commendations and pictures he had collected from his career over the years. He understood that when the Reapers attacked, he needed to do something. It was why he enlisted, to help save the galaxy. He had tried his best to convince his son differently, he didn't want his son to see the horrors he had seen in the war. But he understood that his son had made his choice.

"Chris thinks it's cool that I'm joining, the other teens on the ship think it's cool, but most of them are going to a technician school or something like that. I'm one of the few that are actually joining the military." He explained to his father.

"What about Diane? How does she feel about it?" he asked his son. Diane was one of the few teen girls on the ship. He remembered her when she and Michael were a few years old. Her parents worked in the engineering deck, and her father was the Chief Engineer. She was a good and close friend to Michael.

"It's not what she would've pictured me going into, but she respects my decision." Michael told him, with a tone of insecurity.

"I doubt she likes it as much though." He told his son. "She cares about you, son. Going into the military service really isn't the safest line of work."

"Dad, I know what you're doing. You're trying to convince me to get out of it again. It's not working." Michael quickly snapped.

"Son… I said the same thing to my father before I left to fight in the war. He wanted me to volunteer as an assistant to a medical center or something like that… but I didn't want to see what the war was doing, I wanted to do something about it. I left Bekenstein to fight in the war. Son… I travelled to the worst places in the galaxy, and it wasn't until a month after I left that I found out Bekenstein was wiped out by the Reapers. My parents didn't survive." The admiral solemnly told his son, who rolled his eyes.

"Dad, you've told me this a thousand times. We're not in the war anymore, we're not fighting Reapers or some other monster, and we're at peace now." His son tried telling him. The admiral shook his head.

"I'd like to believe that son, I really do. But the war is still fresh in everyone's minds. A lot of good people died. And we're still reconstructing Earth, the home planet, thirty years after we retook Earth and stopped the Reapers. And we're not done yet. That should give you an idea that peace is far from realization." His father tried telling him. Michael just shook his head, stood up and gathered his bag.

"Son… Where are you going?" the admiral asked.

"I'm going to go hang with my friends. I'll be back later dad." Michael shook his head.

"Son…"

Michael left out of the living quarters before the admiral could stop him. He sighed, and stood up to stare at a picture on the wall. It was a picture of him and his wife when they married. He had met her on Earth after retaking it. He was wounded in battle, and his sergeant had carried him back to a medical tent in London. She was there. She was a volunteer assistant, and treated his wounds. As she turned to another patient, he grabbed her arm, and asked her not to leave. They fell in love months later and married three years after. Her name was Layla. He took a deep sigh.

"If only you were still here." He said to himself. Then, the helmsman went over the intercom.

"Admiral, I'm preparing a course for the Citadel. Commander Peterson recommends you notify the other captains of the overseeing fleet that you will be absent."

"Thank you, helmsman. I will do that."

"Yes, sir."

The admiral walked to his office in his quarters and prepared a message that he would address to the other captains of the fifteen overseeing ships of Anderson's Arm. It wasn't uncommon that he would be called out to the Citadel for a report, as overseer, his responsibilities were vast. The point of the ships was to provide instruction to arriving supply ships and to gather information from all the regions on Earth in terms of progress. They were also responsible for requisitioning resources to bring to Earth.

His responsibilities were simple, but not at all easy. He was responsible for the security of the reconstruction process. And billions of people on Earth depended on his success.

As he finished his message, the SSV MacArthur plotted its course, and was now en-route to the nearest mass relay to jump to the Serpent Nebula.


End file.
